Compact Basketball Return Device Designed for Made Shots

ABSTRACT

A basketball return device that surrounds the net, restricting most made shots to fall beneath the front half of the rim. The back half of the cylinder interior is hard, while the interior of the front half is lined with a cushioning material. Suspended from the cylinder piece so that it is directly below the front half of the cylinder is a ricocheter, a half cone that deflects the basketball forward. In the normal position, the hard side faces the backboard and the device should be able to handle all normal shots except those from or near the sides. To better handle side shots, the movable part of the device should be rotated 90 degrees. The device can be raised and attached to the rim unit by using a rod-like instrument.

CROSS-REFERENCE to RELATED APPLICATIONS

Not Applicable

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of Invention

This invention pertains to devices intended to return made basketball shots back to the shooter.

2. Description of the Related Art

There have been many attempts to build a device that returns a basketball to the shooter if the shot is made, however all have some sort of limitation. Some simply drop the ball forward and therefore not directional. Regardless, this function does save time as the distance between the shooter and where the ball is retrieved is reduced. Other devices simply return the ball to the same spot, ideal for practicing the same shot but not a variety of shots. Another device requires an adjustment in order for the ball to return accurately. Many of the existing devices are non-portable, require the use of a latter to attach or both. A perfect device to solve this problem does not presently exist and may never will. One that returns made shots most of the time, is easy to install, and not too cumbersome would be ideal. Even a device which returns just two-thirds of made shots back to the shooter would be a tremendous time saver and enable more shots to be taken.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The goal is to design a product that works well for a variety of shots, somewhat portable and relatively easy to install. The advantage of this invention starts with restricting where the ball will land. All “good” shots, those that do not contact the backboard or have funny bounces on the rim, should fall below the front half of said rim. The surrounder basically creates a solid net, yet has no or minimal affect on the shot. The rim and the top of the net is still visible since many shooters use this as a reference point. Balls will either strike the back half of the rim, back half of the surrounder, or in some scenarios both. In any case, the ball is striking a hard surface and will bounce the opposite direction. In doing so, the ball will strike the cushioned side of the surrounder. By the time the ball reaches the cushion, the momentum of the ball is already reduced. The momentum will be furthered absorbed by the cushion, slowing down the ball even more. After striking the cushion, the horizontal movement should be slight. The ball will then land on the ricocheter, which is positioned below the front half of the rim. Upon contacting the ricocheter, the ball will bounce off and continue on a path towards the shooter. The design should work well to return all reasonable shots with the exception of those from or near the sides. Shots taken from this area are likely to strike the cushioned side or the transitional area where cushion and hard meet. To allow these side shots to be taken, the surrounder is designed to be rotatable so the ball will initially strike the hard side.

For what the device does, it is very portable. The device is slightly wider than the rim and should be no more than 50 inches in height when in use. The device can be designed so the connector and ricocheter can slide into the surrounder so that it is smaller during transport and storage. The device can also be designed with two wheels, so that it can be wheeled like luggage. The device does require the use of a long but narrow rod-like instrument for installation, however this eliminates the need for a latter. The device should be able to be attached and ready to use within three minutes. The accurately of the return is contingent on how clean the shot is. One of the great benefits of this device is that it is almost completely underneath the rim unit, therefore there is minimal negative offset (when a shot is missed, it is unlikely to ricochet off the device so that retrieving the miss requires more work than if the device was not present). It is also important to know that this device is intended only to aid in the practice of mid-range to long-range shots. The device should be removed for games and practicing layups and dunks. There is always the possibility that a part may fall, therefore no one should be near the rim during use, assembly or removal. The device is specifically designed so that the person installing or removing the unit is a safe distance away in the event of a mishap.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the mount

FIG. 2 is a top view of the mount, surrounder, connector and ricocheter in the normal position

FIG. 3 is a top view of the mount, surrounder, connector and ricocheter in the right position

FIG. 4 is a top view of the mount, surrounder, connector and ricocheter in the left position

FIG. 5 is a side view of the mount, surrounder, connector and ricocheter in the normal position

FIG. 6 is a front view of the mount, surrounder, connector and ricocheter in the normal position

FIG. 7 is a side view of the rod-like instrument

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the mount 10. The mount 10 is molded to fit on top of the rim extender. With a hook feature the top of the mount 10 needs to be lifted just slightly above the rim extender. The mount 10 extends asymmetrically downward, similar to a one-strap dress. The mount 10 illustrated has four arms 23 to hold the surrounder in place. At the end of the arms 23 are holders 24 that interlock with attachers on the surrounder exterior. In the illustration, the attachers must be lowered straight into the holders 24. In the back are two cutouts 25 with the same holders 24 sticking outside, enabling the surrounder to fit tightly to the mount 10. Therefore the surrounder is attached to the mount 10 at six points. The mount 10 has a curved fin 26 for support. The locking mechanism illustrated is an upside-down screw 19, which presses against the bottom of the backboard to ensure the mount 10 stays put. The screw 19 is designed to be compatible with the rod-like instrument. The head of the screw 19 can be cupped or magnetic so it can be easily attached or removed.

FIG. 2 is a top view of the mount 10, surrounder 12, connector 16 and ricocheter 15 in the normal position. The straight line represents the edge of the backboard 18. The top of the mount 10 covers most of the rim extender 11. The rounded portion of the mount 10 surrounds half the surrounder 12. The holders 24 are illustrated as two short lines that are parallel. The Ts are the attachers 21. Only three attachers 21 are visible, because one is beneath the rim extender 11 and the lower set is covered up by the upper set. Both upside-down rod holders 17 are visible. The circle is the structure of the surrounder 12. The rim has been omitted on purpose, because it would cover the surrounder 12. In the front interior of the surrounder 12 is a layer of cushioning material 20 such as foam. The cushioning material 20 can be designed to be removable so that it can be replaced when worn. If the cushioning material 20 gets progressively thinner downward, the ball will likely fall straighter. In the back of the surrounder 12 is a ledge 27 designed to bounce forward balls that fall in the back. The ledge 27 is the top of the connector 16, the unit that connects the ricocheter 15 to the surrounder 12. The apex 22 of the ricocheter 15 would be in the center of the rim if present and the straight edge lines up to a diameter of the surrounder 12. The ricocheter 15 is smaller than half the surrounder 12, because only a small area of the ball will contact the surface.

The ricocheter 15 illustrated is half of a right circular cone and therefore appears as a semicircle. A whole right circular cone would work as well, but unnecessary. The ball never has to move towards the backboard 18. The half cone is a circular sector of a dimensional geometric unit with a circular base that tapers upward toward the centre of the basketball rim for the basketball to bounce off the surface in the opposite direction that said basketball was shot from.

FIG. 3 is a top view of the mount 10, surrounder 12, connector 16 and ricocheter 15 in the right position. The position of the mount 10 is unchanged. The surrounder 12 is rotated 90 degrees counterclockwise to handle side shots from the right. The upside-down rod holder 17 on the surrounder 12 points to the right. The ledge 27 and the connector 16 are in the left side of the cavity. The ledge 27 is the top of the connector 16. The cushioning material 20 and ricocheter 15 are in the right side, now also the front side or half The apex 22 of the ricocheter 15 remains below the center of the rim.

FIG. 4 is a top view of the mount 10, surrounder 12, connector 16 and ricocheter 15 in the left position. The position of the mount 10 is unchanged. The surrounder 12 is rotated 90 degrees clockwise to handle side shots from the left. The upside-down rod holder 17 on the surrounder 12 points to the left. The ledge 27 and the connector 16 are in the right side of the cavity. The ledge 27 is the top of the connector 16. The cushioning material 20 and ricocheter 15 are in the left side, now also the front side or half. The apex 22 of the ricocheter 15 remains below the center of the rim.

FIG. 5 is a side view of the mount 10, surrounder 12, connector 16 and ricocheter 15. The top of the mount 10 is slightly above the rim 13. The screw 19 is pressed against the bottom of the backboard 18. The fm 26 is clearly illustrated and part of the mount 10. The surrounder 12 is attached to the mount 10 so that the rim 13 and top of the net 14 is visible. The dotted line shows where the ledge may be within the surrounder 12. The ledge does not have to be flat. The connector 16 extends downward from the back interior of the surrounder 12 and bends forward. Although the ricocheter 15 is half of a right circular cone, from the side it appears as a right triangle. The angle of the ricocheter 15 should be designed to handle mid-range shots, because one designed for long-range shots may return a mid-range shot with too much force. Although not visible here, the cushioning material need not begin at the top of the surrounder 12. The cushioning material should extend down to the bottom of the surrounder 12. Gravity will cause the ball 28 to strike the cushioned side at a lower point than the opposite side.

FIG. 6 is a front view of the mount 10, surrounder 12, connector 16 and ricocheter 15. This is how the device will appear from the free-throw line. The connector 16 extends downward and centered to the rim 13 and surrounder 12. Also centered is the ricocheter 15 which takes the shape of an isosceles triangle. The base of the ricocheter 15 is level to the rim 13. The attachers 21 in front serve no purpose in the current position.

FIG. 7 is a side view of the rod-like instrument 29. The rod-like instrument 29 is or mostly hollow so that it is lightweight yet strong. The rectangular end 31 is designed for lifting the mount and returner and therefore compatible with the upside-down rod holders. The modified end 30 is designed to be compatible with the locking mechanism of the mount.

Although several embodiments of this invention have been described above for illustration purposes, it will be evident to those skilled in the art that many variations of the details of the present invention may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. 

1. A basketball return device for returning the basketball in the general vicinity of the shooter if two criterions are met 1) the shot is successful 2) the ball's flight through the basket is straight (the ball stays within or near the line that is the center of the basket and the shooter), the device comprising a) a mount that attaches to the rim extender like a long hook with features to firmly secure a corresponding part b) a returner consisting of three main parts 1) a surrounder, a hard circular piece with an inner circumference approximately equal to that of the rim positioned below said rim to surround the net 2) a ricocheter, half of a right circular cone positioned below or mostly below the front half of the surrounder to bounce made shots forward 3) a connector, a connecting piece attached to the back interior of the surrounder and extends below said surrounder before bending or curving forward to support the ricocheter c) a rod-like instrument with a modified end and a rectangular end designed for lifting and securing the mount and returner to or near the rim unit
 2. the basketball return device of claim 1 wherein the mount and surrounder will each have an upside-down rod holder so they can be lifted by the rod-like instrument
 3. the basketball return device of claim 1 wherein the mount will have a locking mechanism for securing to the backboard
 4. the basketball return device of claim 3 wherein the locking mechanism can be activated or deactivated with the rod-like instrument
 5. the basketball return device of claim 1 wherein the interior shape of the surrounder structure from the top view is a circle
 6. the basketball return device of claim 5 wherein a cushioning material lines approximately the front half of the surrounder cavity
 7. the basketball return device of claim 6 wherein the cushioned side of the surrounder should face towards the shooter
 8. the basketball return device of claim 1 wherein the surrounder will have two sets of four exterior attachers that correspond to the securing features of the mount
 9. the basketball return device of claim 8 wherein the attachers will enable the surrounder to be attached in three positions
 10. the basketball return device of claim 1 wherein most made shots will bounce off the back side of the rim or surrounder cavity, strike the front side of the surrounder cavity, fall below, bounce off the ricocheter and continue on a path towards the shooter
 11. the basketball return device of claim 10 wherein the height of the surrounder is adequate for the ball to strike the front interior after bouncing off the opposite side
 12. the basketball return device of claim 1 wherein the height of the connector is adequate for the ball to bounce off the ricocheter without contacting the surrounder
 13. the basketball return device of claim 1 wherein the top of the connector is designed to bounce forward balls falling through the back of the surrounder
 14. the basketball return device of claim 1 wherein the apex of the ricocheter is in the center or central area of the rim when viewed from the top
 15. the basketball return device of claim 10 wherein the size of the ricocheter is adequate to bounce balls that contact the front interior of the surrounder
 16. the basketball return device of claim 1 wherein the angle of the ricocheter is most optimal for returning mid-range shots
 17. the basketball return device of claim 1 wherein the base of the ricocheter is level to the rim
 18. the basketball return device of claim 1 wherein the mount, surrounder structure, connector, ricocheter and rod-like instrument are made of hard materials such as plastic, metal, hard rubber or a similar material
 19. the basketball return device of claim 1 wherein the mount, surrounder structure, connector and ricocheter should be stationary or have very minimal movement during use
 20. A basketball return device positioned below the basketball rim for returning made shots in the general vicinity of the shooter that is a dimensional geometric unit with a circular base (or circular sector of said dimensional geometric unit with a circular base) that tapers upward toward the central area of said basketball rim for the basketball to bounce off the surface in the opposite direction that said basketball was shot from 